Bar Review: The RE (Or Royal Exchange)

It’s a Sunday, which is the perfect time to visit the RE if you’re a resident at one of the UQ Colleges. If not, you can go there if you want to be overloaded by people who are already all friends with each other, but not you.

The RE is situated in Toowong, Brisbane and is right across from the shopping centre.

So the thing is, there are two nights of the week when the Royal Exchange reaaaally goes off. You have Sundays, which, as I just mentioned, is college kids. Then you have Wednesdays, which is the day when all of the UQ students who go to UQ but don’t live there go.

If you visit the RE on either of these days, you’re guaranteed to have a blast. The place is pumping and everyone is on the dancefloor by 11pm. Unfortunately, on both of these nights, the music outside is turned off by 12:30am. This is due to the neighbours in the area, and the fact that the RE is in such close proximity to many residential suburbs.

Drinks on both of these nights are $4 for a basic or around $10 for a jug of beer (don’t ask me what type of beer, I don’t drink it!). Cocktails are also reasonably priced at $6, with a few to choose from.

The RE has pool tables and a plethora of bars, both upstairs and downstairs to choose from. It has a great atmosphere, with the right balance between seating and dancefloor. Pool tables are upstairs, and provide a great way to unwind from university life.

If you’re a university student, the RE is the place to be. It’s a REally good night out, and theRE are lots of REally terREble puns that you can make while you’re on your way there. It’s a nice quick walk back to any of the surrounding suburbs, because really, I wouldn’t waste your money on a taxi. The taxi drivers out the front of the RE generally know that we are poor, unsuspecting (often drunk) students who don’t bother to check the base rate of the cab. Always ask, please don’t get ripped off!